But while the network insists the move was Natalia’s decision, insiders claim otherwise.
“When Natalia left she very much wanted to come back to the role. Her little son Ezra, is just one-week-old, she was so set on returning to the show when she left, it seems unusual that she would have changed her mind just days into motherhood," a source told Confidential.
“This was another change in the new-look show. With three women already on the panel, another male was needed.”
The Today show shakeup began in December when Karl Stefanovic was replaced with Deborah Knight. Sports reporter Tim Gilbert was replaced by Tony Jones, while Tom Steinfort was brought in to take over newsreader Sylvia Jeffreys’ role. Triple J journalist Brooke Boney also joined the show as the new entertainment reporter.
